New Braintree school chief looks to make good system better

In taking over as Braintree's school superintendent, Maureen Murray knows her task isn’t to make wholesale changes. Her predecessor, Peter Kurzberg, left the system “in pretty good shape” after 22 years in the job, Murray said.

In taking over as the town’s school superintendent, Maureen Murray knows her task isn’t to make wholesale changes. Her predecessor, Peter Kurzberg, left the system “in pretty good shape” after 22 years in the job, Murray said.

“There’s nothing broken that needs to be fixed,” Murray said during an interview in the school administration offices. “I’m excited to keep it moving forward, taking a well-run school district and moving it forward. I have no doubt we will continue to see gains.”

Murray, 59, was the unanimous choice of the school committee for the job in February. The committee made the appointment without a search.

“This is the pinnacle,” she said of her new job. “This is the ultimate. This is where you get to make the decisions and lead. This is the ultimate reward in a career.”

Among the challenges Murray faces in the school system are space problems at the elementary level, getting ready for the switch to a new test that will replace the MCAS, ensuring student safety and boosting academic performance.

Murray said she took a close look at the school system six years ago before taking the job as assistant school superintendent. She said she was impressed by both the community and the school system.

“There is a culture of pride and support of the schools,” she said. “You have really talented administrators and members of the teaching staff.”

A native of Cincinnati, Murray is one of five children, and later moved with her family to New Jersey and Connecticut. Her mother, Maryanne Murray, taught math and science in grades 6-8.

While in high school, she taught in a pre-school program and worked with a disabled boy.

Murray graduated from Boston College, and began her career in education by spending three years as a grade 5 teacher at the Assumption School in Westport, Conn.

She came back to Massachusetts with a job as a coordinator for a Boston program for adults with disabilities. After a year, she became a special education teacher. It was in Brockton that she made the switch from teacher to administrator, taking charge of the Communities and Schools for Career Success Initiative.

“You can have a greater effect on a wider audience” as an administrator, Murray said in explaining the career change. “That to me was the draw. It is always gratifying to motivate adults to get them to do the best they can.”

Her last job before coming to Braintree was as a director of curriculum, instruction and grants in the Walpole schools, a position she held for two years.

Murray said she does miss “the energy of the students, but I tend to find that connection when I’m out in the schools.”

Page 2 of 2 - As assistant superintendent, Murray said most of her work was behind the scenes, focusing on academics and operations. As superintendent, she’ll also have more responsibility over the $53.76 million school budget.

Murray said she plans to become more visible in the community.

She also holds a master’s degree from Cambridge College, and in 2010 completed her doctorate in leadership in schools from the University of Massachusetts at Lowell.